An Assessment of Residential Quality of Life in Informal Settlements in Port Harcourt Municipality

Abstract

This study has assessed urban residential quality of life in two neighbourhoods of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria -- drawn from the informal (waterfront) settlements that line the creeks of the city. The study set out to ascertain residents’ perception of neighbourhood attributes, residential quality of life as whole and the variables considered by residents to be the most important to enhance residential quality of life. Neighbourhood attributes were studied in situ without experimental manipulation and at one period in time, i.e. the study adopted a passiveobservational research design. The study utilized both secondary and primary data sources. Primary data was collected using face-to-face administration of a largely pre-coded household questionnaire, to a probability sample of 192 respondents, drawn from the 2 neighbourhoods. Data analysis was based on responses from 191 questionnaires retrieved and the univariate analytical method was adopted. The study found, that residential quality of life in the informal settlement of Port Harcourt Municipality was low with garbage in the neighbourhoods. There was no street lighting in the neighbourhoods, periodic flooding occurring in two the neighbourhoods. The study further revealed that 28.8% of the residents in these neighbourhoods were unhappy with their residential quality of life and 52.9% of the residents perceived their neighbourhoods to be of medium quality. A key conclusion of the study was that the improvement of neighbourhood residential conditions as perceived by the residents was important in raising residential quality of life, and recommendations included that in the provision of public infrastructure and services , the perceptions and preferences of the beneficiaries/target population must be taken into account to achieve user satisfaction.